Meeting new people...and new pajamas?

So we got invited to a housewarming party of a guy we met friend's, and the theme of the party was "Chinese dressing gowns, pajamas and slipper, as seen on the streets of Shanghai."  Honestly, we had no clue what they meant. We asked many, many people what they thought.  We even asked the guy who invited us and he wasn't sure(and didn't need to because A) he's a guy and B) his wife would probably figure it out). So we were left thinking that it was formal wear, because that is what many people thought it meant.  So after much searching and trying on, I did find a chinese style formal dress, I remind you, I'm not of the same build and size of the people in Shanghai!  Honestly, all of them are a size 0, or 2 or smaller!  But...we did manage to find one!  So....on to Eric!  Ha, remember he has a good foot or foot and a half on most of them, so it was not going to be easy!  He tried on a top/tux/suit looking top and then the pants.  They were made of complete silk.  Not sure if it was real silk, but it felt like it and they kept saying it was!  The price would confirm this as they wanted around $350 dollars for his get up!  Obviously we were not that ready to impress our new "friends" so we didn't buy it!  So...come to find out, that was a smart decision in the end!  We were really supposed to wear ugly, and I mean try and find the ugliest flannel, huge print, ruffled, nasty, two-piece pajamas you could find!  One lady's was great, it even had quilting on it!  It was very padded for extra warmth, hilarious!  Yes, they did give us some grief for not dressing up...but we just moved here and had no idea what they were talking about!  We did meet some very fun and interesting people from all over the world!  A couple from Brazil, a couple from France, people from Norway, Canada, Seattle, Czech Republic, California, Minnesota, China, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Australia, and I'm sure there were more that I'm forgetting!  We had sooooo much fun!  You may wonder what we did with our girls....well being the bad parents that we are, we left them home with our Ayi.  Don't worry, she was recommended by many, many people, she is very trustworthy, responsible, caring and loving, so yes, we took the plunge and left them home!  They survived!  We had them fed so all she had to do was play with them and put them to bed!  It went great and Reese just loves her!  PHEWWWW!  Here are only a few pics of some people we met at the party! I so wish I would have taken more!  There place was unbelievable!  Their terrace was AMAZING and had the most gorgeous view of the city lit up at night!  So beautiful!  Eric was actually given main duty on the bbq because he is a yank, and knows how to grill!  Too funny!  Americans definitely can grill better than the Brits, that is for sure! I did try some lamb, and yes, it tastes just like they smell in the 4-H barn.  No difference!  HORRIBLE!

I'm not sure if this guy just wanted to laugh at Eric or if Eric just liked his robe so much that he wanted to try it on!  He was from New Zealand and talked and acted JUST like Austin Powers!  I mean EXACTLY! He was HILARIOUS!  We were laughing all night!  We really did have a great time and made a ton of connections!  I think I may have found my new hairstylist Krista!  His name is Stefan...and he is from the US so he knows how to do hair, especially if you want it blonde instead of orange out here!  I also met a lady who might be my Chinese tutor!  She is great!  She wants to learn more about Dyslexia to make herself more marketable to those specific type of learners out here, so I might get some free lessons, we'll see!  Many of the people at the party actually live in our complex so it was great getting to know some of the people that live around us!  The hosts used to live where we are but just recently moved into this shack!  A couple of the girls are going to take me shopping this week to show me around the local shops in where to get your meat, fruits, veggies, etc.  Very excited!
So funny, one lady said that she worked for Shape Corporation here in China but was going to visit the one in Grand Haven, MI!  So we gave here some ideas of places to see!  Another girl from Norway was telling me that her younger sister is actually in Fremont, MI on an exchange at the high school this year!  Such a SMALL WORLD!!